IWC Da Vinci Ceramic Chronograph

It’s just been a few years since the new IWC Da Vinci watches came out, and the line is showing lots of promise. Looking like an alternative shape to its iconic Ingenieur watch, the Da Vinci is in a tonneau-style case and sized for the modern man at 44mm wide. Guys fascinated by non-round watches will find the IWC Da Vinci to be a respectable fit. Even those who aren’t wowed by the glitzy gold models will find a lot to love in this activity-oriented ceramic chronograph member of the collection.

Back in the 1980s, an early IWC Da Vinci was the first to bear ceramic in a watch case. Since then, the technology has come quite far. A zirconium oxide-based black ceramic makes up the middle part of the watch case, sandwiched with high-grade titanium. It makes for a lighter-than-logical watch with a high level of durability with ceramic that won’t scratch or tarnish. No one else does this type of case like IWC, and the unique textures and shapes on the dial make this more than a refreshed boardroom Da Vinci watch.

IWC does a fantastic job of mechanical movement decor. It makes sense that the company is proud of its in-house-made automatic Caliber 89360 (68 hours of power reserve) that is viewable through a sapphire window in the caseback of the watch. Note the woven fabric over calfskin strap.

No IWC watch is released that isn’t an exceptional time telling tool. More than likely, the IWC’s popularity here in the U.S. is due to the fact that adherence to its core function is a primary motive when IWC releases new models (as opposed to style and form alone). The 12-hour chronograph is cleverly arranged using only two subdials. There is a centrally mounted chronograph seconds hand while the top subdial has two hands as it covers both the chronograph minutes and hours. The lower seconds subdial is for the time. The layout gives the avant-garde dial a simple legibility while the watch dial itself presents a round shape in the middle of the dial for even easier reading. It has style and function for decades to come -- Leonardo would be proud.